WORLD RELIGIONS REPORT



World Religions Report

World Religions Report

Introduction of the Religion

According to Young (1997), the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity is Islam, with an estimated 1.4 billion supporters called Muslims. The name Islam comes from an Arabic root word meaning peace and submission; therefore, some think of Islam as being a religion of peace, while others think of Islam as being a submission or compliance to the will of God. In either case though, the majority of Muslims believe that one can find peace just by submitting to Allah (the Arabic root word for God). Considered to be one of the Arabic religions, Islam is originated from the tradition of Abraham, the Hebrew Bible patriarch. The most number of Muslims are found in Indonesia. (Young 2008)

Name, Location And Review Of The Site

The place of worship that I visited and did my interview at is Al-Masjid al-H?aram, known as "The Sacred Mosque." It is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia and is the holiest mosque in the world, as well as the main destination of the Hajj pilgrimage. It can house up to 820,000 worshippers during the Hajj with its area of 356,800 square meters. Al-Masjid al-H?aram has no qibla direction (the point toward which Muslims turn to pray). That is due to the fact since Muslims pray in front of the Ka'ba, which is in the central courtyard.

Interview Summary

I went to the Al-Masjid al-H?aram and interviewed the worshipper, Abdul Turab. Abdul is 35 years old and is a father to a 9 year old son named Mir. His wife, also 35, is named Salma. Abdul lives with his family in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Abdul has been worshipping at the Al-Masjid al-H?aram throughout his entire life. The questions that I asked Abdul were: How would you define the Islamic religion? What are the important holidays and traditions of this religion? How has religion shaped your life? What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion? How would you compare the Islamic religion to the Christianity religion? How would you differentiate the Islamic religion to the Christianity religion? Do you believe in karma? What can you tell me about the Hajj? What is the Islamic view regarding abortion? What are the Muslim beliefs regarding afterlife?A. Turab (personal communicator, May 15, 2007). With defining the Islamic religion, Abdul says that it is difficult to define since everyone has their own opinion of what the religion means. However, Abdul defines the Islamic religion as not just merely a religion, but also as a state philosophy. It fills every aspect of social cooperation and civilization. He says that it exists everywhere, is a missionary, an organizing principle, a story, a viewpoint, a value system, and a handbook. As a religion though, Abdul says Islam is a monotheistic religion described by the approval of the doctrine of obedience, to God and to Muhammad, as the chief and final prophet of God. (The University of Kansas Medical Center 2008)

The important holidays and traditions of Islam ...